The L.A. Times music blog

Beatlemania 2009: Amoeba Music in Hollywood

September 9, 2009 | 7:01
pm

Amoeba Music in Hollywood flew through its allotment of 90 mono box sets in about three hours on Wednesday, general floor manager Rick Sanchez said. By mid-afternoon the store had sold about 160 of 200 of the stereo boxes.

Many fans stayed through the day, he said, to connect with other fans, and to take part in "Breakfast With the Beatles" host Chris Carter's guest DJ set, for which about 50 onlookers gathered among the aisles of CDs.

Tim Downey, 54, left work early and drove some 50 miles from Riverside to bring his 19-year-old daughter Kelsey. "She's a huge Beatles fan," he said.

Kelsey said she also listens to the Killers, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and John Mayer, "but the Beatles are the best," she said.

Her father was going to let her choose one of the remastered CDs to buy. " 'Revolver,' " she said. "We hear they're really good. My friends are texting me with things like, ' "Sun King" sounds amazing!' "

Amoeba dug out some rarities for its Beatles Day, Sanchez said, including DVDs of the out-of-print movie "Yellow Submarine" and vinyl LPs of the U.S. "Yesterday... and Today" album with the original "butcher" cover.

"When I was a toddler, I used to go around the house singing 'I Saw Her Standing There,' " said Cynthia Egan, 19, of Lomita, who took the 45-minute drive to Hollywood with her mother, Tiffany, 43. "I learned 'Help!' on the drive to my grandparents' house," Tiffany said. "My grandparents are fans too. My grandfather plays 'Taxman' every April 15."